The Boondocks, Season 2 SCREENSHOTS

Carl Jones, the man who not only produces The Boondocks TV show and illustrates the comic strip, has some screen shots from Season 2 of The Boondocks (any idea when this is going to be on TV though?)!! The first shot is a character called "THUGNIFICENT", which he notes that he voiced himself:



Peep these other shots:







Oh, I can NOT wait!
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Amanda Diva puts the "flo" in Floetry


Call it Floetry 2.0? YBF has the scoop on the fallout and whatnot. It's all good, though - Amanda Diva is the truth, and she is documenting the FLOETRY REMIXED shows on her MySpace blog; peep Day 1.
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rock the dub radio: episode 001 rewind

So, quietly, a fuse was lit on Saturday night. The sparker? WGHH Radio. The explosive material? Your's truly, and his new incarnation: rock the dub radio.

As bootleg as we may be (no drops? no talking? NO MIXING?!), rtd radio still shines down, giving you some of the freshest Hip-Hop in the land. This initial show was broken into 1 hour themes (loose, yes, but themes nonetheless). Hour 1 was a sort of Jay-Z tribute/themed affair. It had Jay on Hot 97 back in the Fall of '06 (right before Kingdom Come dropped), murking "Grammy Family". Featured as well were illness from the likes of NozL, Little Brother, Peedi Crakk, Joe Budden, Erick Sermon, and Busta Rhymes alongside some Jay cuts that might be a bit under the radar ("Trouble", "Regrets", "Nigga Please", etc.) for kicks. Hour 2 kicked it up a notch with a new-shit heavy selection from guys like Fabolous (w/ Pusha T), Gucci Mane (w/ Ludacris), BG (w/ Young Jeezy), and 50 Cent, and even got a twinge of Grime/Dubstep in at the end. This was all held together by a few choice Mike Tyson quottables. Classic material. We even have it streamed (download links to come soon):



And here's the tracklisting:

01/hot 97 intro
02/NozL "One Part Short"
03/Joe Budden "I'm Back"
04/Busta Rhymes ft. Swizz Beatz "Watch Ya Mouth"
05/Peedi Crakk "Get Fucked Up"
06/interlude: Jay-Z & Talib Kweli meet
07/Little Brother "Good Clothes"
08/Erick Sermon ft. Vic Damone "Give It 2 'Em"
09/Jay-Z "Where I'm From"
10/Saigon ft. Swizz Beatz "C'mon Baby"
11/Sean Price "Crazy"
12/Jay-Z "A Million And One Questions ('98 Remix)
13/Jay-Z ft. Young Chris "Nigga Please"
14/interlude: Evol Intent ft. Meatwad "Damn, That's A Big Hot Dog!"
15/Jay-Z "Regrets"
16/Jay-Z "Hot 97 Freestyle (Oct. 2006)"
17/interlude: Alec Baldwin wyles out
18/Dr. Dre ft. Snoop
Doggy Dogg, Dat Nigga Daz, Kurupt & Jewell "Bitches Ain't Shit"
19/The Game "My Bitch"
20/interlude: Mike Tyson 01
21/B.G. ft. Young Jeezy "Hustle"
22/Gucci Mane ft. Ludacris "Freaky Gurl (Remix)"
23/Session "Chea!"
24/interlude: Mike Tyson 02
25/Freeway ft. Jay-Z "Big Spender"
26/Fabolous ft. Pusha T "Jokes On You"
27/50 Cent "I Get Money"
28/interlude: Mike Tyson 03
29/David Banner "K.O."
30/Sheek Louch "Danga Zone"
31/Dizzee Rascal ft. UGK "Where's Da G's?"
32/Durrty Goodz "Axiom"
33/Team Shadetek ft. Skepta "Reign"
34/Big Kuntry King ft. T.I. Vs. Reform "Throwback (DJ Nappy THUGSTEP Mix)"
002 should be premiering on the 12th of August, and it's already shaping up to be a beast. Expect to hear some J Dilla, some Sean Price... I don't want to give it all away, but it's something special. And 003 will be even better.

Got any beats? Requests? Shout outs? Hit me up: khaldub@gmail.com.

Stay tuned for the download link - should be coming later this week.

PS: rock the dub radio 001 will be re-played on WGHH Radio Thursday at the regular rtd radio time (10PM-12AM EST). Hope you don't snooze.
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WGHH Radio presents: rock the dub radio

Anyone wanna make me a logo?

Anyways, Chad and the good peeps over at WGHH Radio have gone and asked me to do some programming for them. The first rock the dub radio experiment will be dropping tonight, 10PM-12AM EST. WGHH provides progressive Hip-Hop, so I think my selection more than fits that tagline... this week's show features a kind of dedication to Jay-Z in the 1st hour, but features new shit from Little Brother, Saigon, Busta Rhymes and others. Hour 2 is the bugout, with new spit from David Banner, 50 Cent, Gucci Mane (ft. Ludacris), even some UK Grime and whatnot. It's hot.

No talk, just beats. Some quirk thrown in there, b/c hey, it's me. Any of you MCs/DJs/producers who want to get your music heard, SEND ME MP3s/CDs - only your best, high quality tracks. IF IT'S HOT, IT WILL GET BURN! Also, anyone who would like to provide me with drops, let me know. Send me files/requests/other shit: khaldub@gmail.com.

Pick your poison: Live365 player \ Real Media \ iTunes \ Flash Player. Or you can go through the WGHH pop-up player, which seems to work fine for me.

Shouts to Chad and all the affiliates. I WILL be posted a link to the shows AFTER they air, so if you miss it - you will still be able to catch it.

For more info on WGHH Radio:

www.wghhradio.com
WGHH Radio on Live Journal
WGHH Radio on MySpace
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Jay Eff Kay America: Suicide Notes, Vol. 1 [review]

I'm not sure how many of you peeped him out when I linked his recap of 2006, but Jay Eff Kay is the next phase for Hip-Hoppers who actually know what the fuck is going on in this fucked up country we live in, and are here to really get the revolution started. His site calls him "the Rap Travis Brickle", and based on some of the darts he's thrown on his debut album, America: Suicide Notes, Vol. 1, he's right there.

The first track that got to me was "Want Sex & Violence? (Suburbia's It)", which blows the roof off that 3 bedroom, 2 and a 1/2 bath home in the 'burbs (complete with 2 car garage), exposing the real shit that goes on in suburban towns: mass murder, sexual predators, and the like. We see this shit in the news all the time, but it seems like its not really noticed that hey, these "utopian" towns are really fucked up. This is also a perfect example of what Jay's style is like: VERY bouncy beat, something that makes the MCs hit that sped-up flow, which he masters nicely, especially given the fact that he's actually spitting full sentences coming at you. The addition of the P-Funk sounding high-pitched hypeman is a nice touch. This track drops right into "Paranoid 2007", which is another satire on the state of our country when the media let's us know that the terror alert level has turned Orange or Red. This is the delusional tale of the parents who ended up living in the house that's covered in plastic sheets and duct tape, spittin' p-noid verses into a can of tuna fish. And what dissection of America is complete without a track like "Den of Rats", which let's you know the truth about the people who have their fingers on the button, their hands in the wallets, and your lives in their grasp. Get educated.

One track that really hit me was "Fuck The World", which is the cubicle-worker's manifesto. You hate where you're at in your life? Mash those chains up, go strike out on your own, and fuck everything else. It's a "live life to the fullest" anthem for 2k7. And dude knows - he went from Ivy League and Wall Street suit and ties to an apartment in the city, putting his knowledge to a beat. "The Gift & The Curse" is no Jay-Z diss, but a portrait of the mind of a writer who can give you infinite excuses as to why his rhyme isn't done, but can't come up with a few bars when it's time to write a real rhyme... I've been there. On the comical side of things, "Skankapotamus" is a down South sounding ode to honeys with $20 booties and $.02 faces. And don't think I didn't notice that Jay-Z "I'm the rap JFK" sample in "I'm All Over It", which reminds me of what Eminem wishes he could do these days.

In a genre that's so global now it's scary when thinking about who's an emcee these days, it's kind of refreshing and ironic that I am endorsing dude as "that next dude", but he has the personality that many fans should link up with. How many 25+ Hip-Hoppers are stuck, chained behind a desk working for a faceless conglomerate, all the while letting their art suffer? Raise your hands - you're probably reading this at work, now! Let Jay Eff Kay get into your head for a bit, let you laugh and gasp at what the hell is going on in this sick, sad world, and have a great time doing it. Like Public Enemy and others before him, he is bringing the noise with a message. It might scare you, and you might pee your pants in fear and in fits of laughter, but dude makes you feel something, which is more than I can say for some of these nobodies out here...

rock the dub gives America: Suicide Notes, Vol. 1 a 4 out of 5. Fun beats + fun personality + real issues and well thought-out songs = a scary, exciting listening experience. Don't sleep.

For more info on Jay Eff Kay and his work, hit the following sites:
Jay Eff Kay on MySpace
http://www.johneffkennedy.com/
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Mixtape, Inc. DVD [review]

I don't know if you guys remember, but I spoke on this briefly this past May. Seeing as I am as passionate about Hip-Hop and mixtapes as many of you guys, I'm surprised more heads haven't picked up on this DVD. It's got some great material in it, even if it is a bit flawed. At the end of the day, though, Mixtape, Inc. delivers.

It started out kind of confusing - I wasn't sure what to expect, honestly. The production on the documentary, from the titles to the graphics to the music is done very well. I won't say it's a polished turd, but to be fair, some of the segments don't seem to gel. It jumped from speaking on the Berry's Music case, where a white man in Indiana ran a shop that sold crazy mixtapes and got raided as a bootlegger, which is a perfect example of how distorted the image of how outsiders view this mixtape thing. I love it, and appreciated the history of the mixtape that was given, although it did tend to run on a bit too much for me. The extended time spent with Kay Slay was very nice - it let those who might just know his "Smack Your Favorite DJ" claims and not really know how long he has been involved in Hip-Hop that dude really is a don of this. The segue into "mixtape CDs" is a nice touch, but then it kind of gets jumbled.

One thing I didn't like was, aside from some of the bonafide classics, even with the fact that guys like Kanye West and Green Lantern were interviewed, there was no real discussion in terms of the BEEF that gets spread over mixtapes. If Public Enemy was the "Black CNN" for the late 80s, mixtapes ended up being the Blackle of Hip-Hop: it is a resource that helps you connect to different styles/sounds/areas of Hip-Hop that commercial radio doesn't bring you, and is pointed to where you can escape (most of) the bullshit out there. There was no real discussion on how the streets were kept in tune to the conflicts/burgeoning stars. We got a lot of heated words about the Industry eating off the mixtape grind (50 Cent is a big example), but you'd think they'd try to keep it the same throughout - we got to hear about the kinds of joints older cats would blend on tapes, but there was next to no real insight about the CONTENT of mixtapes. The POLITICS about mixtapes was definitely in tact, however.

The only other gripe I had was the narration by director Warren Bell. While he definitely had some decent setups and transitions, his overall tone seemed kind of sleepy. I'm guessing he didn't have time/gwap to get someone "known" to narrate, but it just seemed like he lacked real enthusiasm in the story he was portraying. I think one of the guys on the cover being the narrator would have turned a decent doc on a growing trend and hot-button topic in Hip-Hop into a pretty spectacular DVD. It's also a shame (and kind of ironic) that dude was making this doc before the DJ Drama/Don Cannon raid. Maybe we need a sequel? PLUS, I don't recall there being any DVD extras? And what about the consumer - it seems that we spoke to everyone BUT the consumer, the people who actually cop mixtapes, which kind of misses the whole spectrum of the mixtape scene...

If I were to grade this DVD, it'd get a B-. All of its shortcomings do not overpower the great interviews and the overall fact that dude attempted to write a concrete history on the mixtape. Does it deliver 100%? Nope. But like any great DVD, you'll keep coming back for the heat those niggas spit!

For more info on Mixtape, Inc., check out these sites:
MIXTAPE, Inc. (official website) : official trailer
Cop this DVD at the following sites: Amazon, Exclusive Hip Hop, CD Universe,
Rizoh's writeup on Mixtape, Inc. for About Rap
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Free Ron Isley...?

E-mail I just received (whattup THINKTANK):

LEND YOUR SUPPORT TO AN EXECUTIVE PRESIDENTIAL PARDON FOR THE LEGENDARY RON ISLEY AKA MR. BIGGS.


Join Def Jam today in helping to spread the word for the pardon of legendary American musician Ronald Isley. As a member of The Isley Brothers, Ronald Isley's career spans over 50 years, with countless accomplishments and a legacy of uniquely American music that has influenced everyone from the Beatles to Notorious B.I.G.

In an effort to protect Mr. Isley from incarceration for non-payment of taxes, we urge his fans to call, fax or email the White House immediately to help Ronald stay out of prison. The situation is especially urgent because Mr. Isley is currently scheduled to report to begin serving a 3 year sentence on August 7th of this year. In lieu of the recent charges brought against Mr. Isley, he is currently in the process of a total restitution of his financial obligations to the IRS. Mr. Isley has also offered to perform for troops at various military bases to help heal the country and show his support for their tireless efforts to protect this country. It is important to point out that Ronald Isley has no prior criminal record, and has been a law-abiding, taxpaying employer since 1956. There is also concern that due to a variety of health issues, (Mr. Isley suffered a stroke in 2004 and was diagnosed with kidney cancer in 2006) without proper care Mr. Isley's health could decline further and there is genuine concern as to whether he could survive a lengthy incarceration.

Ronald Isley & The Isley Brothers are an important part of this country's musical history and a part of the Def Jam family so let's band together to keep one of our living legends out of jail.

See the links and numbers below for ways you can show your support:

1. To contact the President of the United States:

Call:
1-202-456-1414

Fax: 1-202-456-2461

Email:
president@whitehouse.gov

2. To contact The Congressional Black Caucus:
Go to
www.congressionalblackcaucus.net

Click on “meet reps” and find your representatives.

3. To contact your local senator or congressperson:
http://www.congress.org/

Click on the “take action” link and put in your zip code and you will be linked to the representatives of your area.

OK, so a nigga like Ron Isley doesn't pay his taxes, so we don't want him to go to jail. Yet we keep Mumia locked down? Why, because he's Mr. fucking Biggs?!?!

What do they think the President is going to do, and how come I don't get massmailings about Genarlow Wilson being freed? And since I won't e-mail Dubya, asking for Ronald Isley to be freed, does that mean I can no longer enjoy "Between The Sheets" or the other Isley Brother classics? I'll do a mixtape will my fav cuts, how's THAT for support?

Let's worry about getting our troops home... then we can try and free old ass Ron Isley.
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[rock the dub Interview]: Messinian


There's a lot of hate when it comes to MCs these days, especially with MCs who spit over Drum & Bass. Many (in the US at least) are seen as perps, guys who put on certain accents and really try to emulate those before them, as opposed to bringing on their own flavor and inflections. I never had that problem - I grew up on the one known as Messinian. I first saw Messinian when he wasn't Messinian, at a party in Philly called "MANGO". The majority of the party was a bust, but he was rockin' hard in the crowded inner club, and I knew dude had it. I didn't realize that, a few months later, I'd be indoctrinated into the Messinian church at a monumental night in Philly Jungle lore called "Sutpen's Jungle". I truly saw how an emcee with real lyrics and real feeling could not only rock a party, but still educate (KRS called that "edutainment", no?)... all while keepin' on beat. It sounds so simple, but so many have tried and failed. Mind you, this was in 2000 - flash forward 7 years, and Messinian is part of the legendary POTD crew, he has spit for many crowds in numerous time zones and countries. He's completed an album, Vampire Hustle, that is set to drop before you know it. I finally got a chance to fling some Q's at him about this and his come-up, and he returned them Q's EARLY (whattup Phillytown?!). Let's get to it...


khal: EZ Messinian. For those out there who might not be in tune to who you are, can you give us a brief rundown of who you run with, where you’ve ran, and why you’re running?

Messinian: Shhhiiiiiiiiit…My name's Messinian--- North Phil... I run from nothin’...The trap can catch up, mayne... This boy been hustlin’... For real... I've been fortunate to be touring the world for the last 8 years rappin' at underground shows and huge sports arenas. My squad when I rock to DnB is Dieselboy, Dara and AK1200... we are collectively known as Planet of the Drums. The tour we do each and every summer is the longest running tour in Electronic Music, ever. Period. We are very blessed to pack the house every night with the wildest, most headstrong fans in the world. My Rap/Hip-Hop crew is so deep we'll be here for days. I roll with MCs, DJs, producers, and Soul singers from Philly, LA, NYC, The Yay, London, and all around the world that make my musical vision and stage show complete on the Rap tip. All I do is write rhymes, produce beats, and burn roofs like a muhfucka... I've toured Africa, Australia, South America, Asia, and Europe, all of America blah blah blah. Now you know the deal... Don’t want to sound like I'm bragging... but I'm blessed. My life's da shit.

khal: Now in terms of MCs who spit over DnB, I’ve been a fan of yours for the last 8 years, when you were rocking all over Philly as “James Dean”. How did MC James Dean become J-Messinian?

Messinian: Thanks fam. Well, you and Philly know me by my real first and middle name because we're cool like that---Philly and LA made me who I am... we're on a real name basis... and you know damn well that peeps are gonna call you James Dean once they find out that’s what your real name is. That name was made infamous by a pimp from Indiana that blendered his Porsche up. It's a long story, B, but I'll make it short as possible. I love history and I feel really connected with the Mycenaean culture...they were around about 1100-800BC. I ain’t gonna fuck up everyone's high by giving them a history lesson, but I'm the type of dude that could burn the rainforest and zone out to the History Channel for 6 hours straight. Give me Egyptian tombs, Asian Dynasties, and Greek Mythology all day, son! I know that might sound weird ‘cos I make music that moves asses in the clubs and makes people want to murk foes... but damn. I guess that's the duality of me. No one wants to go to the club, get drizzy, and fuck a broad to a song about the Mycenaean culture's advanced cuneiform. Get drunk, get crunk, and get your learn on, bitch. Seriously though... the King Hammurabi special I watched last night was ill.

khal: Now you’ve come up rough. You’ve had to deal with a lot of wild issues as a kid, be it homelessness, drugs, poverty – the constant struggle, which many MCs (signed and unsigned) have gone through, especially in the Rap tracks of today. Why do you think you veered one way, towards self-enlightenment and education of the masses, and countless others have all been captivated by the dollar?

Messinian: I'll be real with you man... I just do what comes naturally. I don't really focus on what other fools are doing to ruin the music... I just live this shit on the daily and do what I do to make it interesting to me and my fans. I love rockin’ shows and moving crowds and focusing on my pad. It’s artistic, but it’s also a party every damn night of the year touring the world with my people. And we did all this without radio or Clear Channel. But if radio wants to jump on board with my Rap shit-- I'm down. I'm anti-bullshit... not anti-money. Being anti-money is just being anti-brain... and you know every dude loves brain, mayne. I feel like every artist, every MC, every singer is just human at the end of the day. You want to know what I'm going through? I'll write it down and spit it for you. Sometimes I'm drunk and crackin’ jokes when I pick up the pen... sometimes my mind is filled with stress and pain... sometimes my dick is hard and my girl ain't home. Whatever it is-- it's just me talking to you... And since it's a personal connection I'm trying to make between my mind and the listener; I like to show ALL of me on my tracks. I have a lot of future ideas musically and I don't want to get pigeon-holed as this or that. I want to be able to collaborate with ill MCs, Pop Stars, Rockers, Symphonies, etc., and make the music I feel like making when I feel like making it. I've been through a lot of bullshit and pain, but so has everyone. Yes I went through Poverty, drugs, homelessness, the loss of family members and friends... but that's life. My life has truly gone from rags to riches and I appreciate each day I'm not in a shitty situation any more. You know what I want? I want my music to make people laugh, cry, dance, punch shit, think, fuck, and change the world. Pick one and do it.

khal: You seem to have really come into your own when you were rollin’ with the Substitution crew – I actually remember being at the first Sutpen’s Jungle (at the Electric Factory), seeing yourself and Mis-Ty going for broke over DJ Dara’s mixing. That was a big night. What is it about the Philadelphia Jungle scene that made events like that and others so moving, so raw, and just so fucking fun?

Messinian: Philly just has that vibe that inspires and encourages the raw shit. People in Philly are very real and they get down to business... when the roof is getting burned the fuck down--then there really isn't any choice in the matter, is there? Get the drinks out, call your people, and start tearin’ the fuckin’ club up... Philly is my home and Philly is the shit. Simple and plain. Thank you to Philly for making me who I am today. And thank you to Philly for all the dope poets, artists, DJs, MCs, bands whose dicks the media will be riding in the very near future.

khal: After that, you started to really branch out – and your name started popping up with the now-legendary Planet Of The Drums crew. You’ve now been all over the globe, touring with the heavy hitters of the scene. Are there any differences between a hype crowd in say LA and a hype crowd in Macedonia or Hungary?

Messinian: Nah. When it comes down to it, a great party is a great party. People love music far and wide and that's one thing that keeps the atlas bound together. A club is a club. A packed house is a packed house. If I showed you my tour footage of peeps jumping around to beats in Hungary and peeps jumping around to beats in Costa Rica, the only thing that would give the shit away is the sun tans. The world is small... Music is a beautiful thing.

khal: Seeing as though you’ve been through many of the changes the Jungle/DnB scene in terms of sound has gone through, do you have any gripes in terms of where the more popular styles of DnB have gone? I ask b/c I know you have an extensive love for the classic jungle cuts, but that sound is really rare these days…

Messinian: No gripes at all... the music keeps moving to where people want to take it. I'm not a hater in any sense. There's room for all styles in the scene. I love the whole spectrum of DnB and I know that the music has grown so universal that there is someone out there making the shit that I want to hear. When that day stops I'll drop DnB tunes on yo ass... but to all the kids that bitch... Get Logic, Pro Tools, or Cubase and make the shit happen. Negativity will get you nowhere. The scene ain’t as big as that stick up your ass... That's one to grow on.

khal: In the last few years, especially on your website, it seems as though you’ve taken satire in Rap to another level, producing both images and tracks that really call into question the songs and videos we are bombarded with on a daily basis. Where do you see this problem of glamorizing sex & violence (among other things) in Hip-Hop coming to an end? Do you think it’s too late?

Messinian: Yeah... a lot of my songs are very satirical. If you know me personally then a lot of the songs take on a whole new meaning. It's funny because there's a finer line then people would think between embracing the bullshit and calling out the bullshit....I'm not a thug that slaps hoes with a gold grill... I'm not a pretentious backpacker drinking Haterade...I'm a music lover and a Hip-Hop head....and Hip-Hop ain’t never gonna die. Sex and Violence, when spit poetically, are the shit. Some of the greatest poems/songs of all time have been about sex and violence. It's up to each of us as individuals to support the artists we fuck with. Music Lovers listen...That's the only way these artists can live and focus on making music that you want to listen to... so don’t be a pussclot... you hear something you like? Then please throw them fuckers a dollar and download it off iTunes.

khal: I heard that you have an album that’s set to hit iTunes in the coming months (Vampire Hustle, I believe). Can you speak on what that’s all about, what we can expect to hear on it (is it just Hip-Hop?), and when we can cop it?

Messinian: Vampire Hustle is gonna be out in October/November on iTunes... Shit is crazy, yo. I'm really happy with it. You def. gotta peep the preview tracks and photography for it at www.myspace.com/messinian. Then you'll see where my head is at. It’s Hip-Hop/Baltimore Club/Top 40/street shit all rolled into one. It's time to do something different that can still reach the underground and the masses and hopefully peeps can tap into the shit I've been making. The album has production by underground veterans and up-and-coming heroes from all over the globe....Rest in Peace Disco D, The Enemy from Evol Intent, Cardiff Giants from J Records, Skynet, Photek and HoChi from TEKDBZ, Jayvon, Brigade, The One, Jon Bourke... the list goes on and on. My website is getting revamped but peep that shit soon and I’ll have free download mixes of new tunes I'm working on and I’ll tell you a shitload more about it.

khal: Now, the world of Hip-Hop has lost some greats in the last couple of years, including someone who was close to you, Disco D. Most listeners might only know him as the guy who produced “Ski Mask Way”, and not realize how much work he put in both behind the boards and on the decks. Your upcoming project has some tracks he produced, right? Can you speak how you two met, and what it was like working with someone who had such talent?

Messinian: Disco D aka Dave was an underground legend. A kind hearted genius that did more for Techno and Rap music than a lot of people know. He was such a good soul and it’s a shame that being bi-polar took him away from this earth at such a young age... that was our brother. I met him through mutual friends in the music community - Jessica in Seattle, Joe in OK... the list goes on and on... He agreed to work with me because he said my name kept poppin’ up in conversations left and right and that’s the same shit that was happening to me. We set aside time and finally said "let’s do this". For peeps out there that don’t know he made his claim to fame for being a co-founder of the Ghettotech movement in Detroit... but that was the tip of the iceberg. He was so versatile with his music... he had shit lined up with Trick Daddy, Chamillionaire, Lil’ Wayne, and was doing remixes of groups like Spankrock and Shiny Toy Guns. Me and him had plans to work on a whole album together. My album has some of the last tracks that D made on this earth. I have so much love and appreciation for his family for helping with everything for the album during such difficult times. They know we were tight and have done everything to help. I felt like when I was in the studio with dude, it was just ridiculous. He’d play a beat, I’d write to it in minutes and then we'd murk that shit. Bam. Done. I wish we could’ve made more music and had more dope memories. His motto was "Hustle Harder". So D, that's what I'm gonna do. RIP homey.

khal: Nas calls himself a thug poet. Young Jeezy says he’s not a rapper, he’s a motivational speaker. What is Messinian?

Messinian: A smart assed, revolutionary, wordsmith with his dick in your girl's hand. Nah really man... I’m a rapper. I rap.

khal: You’ve been doing it for years now – do you envision a time when you will be able to put the mic down and not feel like picking it back up?

Messinian: Yes. I call that death.

khal: With the album project coming soon, and your work with TEKDBZ and POTD always going on, when do you find time to unwind? Do you have any non-music hobbies that you indulge in when you get a few quiet hours?

Messinian: Hells yeah. I love being with my loved ones and catching up on all the time I miss from them doing music, writing, drawing, painting, runnin’ the rock, playing Nintendo Wii, partying, eating at nice restaurants, tappin’ ass, and Scrabble. Scrabble's the shit.

khal: OK so it’s about time to wrap this up. Do you have any shout outs/final thoughts/etc. to share with the readers?

Messinian: Yeah... shout outs to GOD, Allah, Buddha, Jehovah or whatever you wanna call him. Just stop fighting over what his fuckin’ name is. He told me he hates that shit... he said get your balls out of your purse and stop being a bitch. Definite respect to all the kids I teach Rap music classes to that are stuck in the Detention center in North Philly. Those kids are the next batch of unfuckwittable MCs. They been through some rough shit and they are ready to kill mics and show y’all their life. These kids are a problem. Step ya game up! Love to all the fans and beat lovers worldwide... all the artists in the circle that inspire me with dope beats and wordplay and you guys for listening to what this dickhead had to say. Respect! See you on tour.

_____
crucial links:
http://www.messinian.com/
www.myspace.com/messinian
http://www.planetofthedrums.com/
cdbaby.com/cd/messinian - grab Messinian's Rhymes Against Humanity CD

______
Messinian videos:

Messinian Summer Tour (2006):


Video for TEKDBZ House of Blues Party:
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LOST News: Michael's back!

Seriously.

First Richard Alpert, now this? What happened to the Code of Silence, LOST producers?

No word on what capacity Michael is back in, or if Walt is returning as well... with all of the future-past craziness of the finale, it looks like we have a pandora's box opened.

And Michael coming back does fuel Doc Jensen's theory on Michael being the one who was in the casket Jack had to get to during the finale. Maybe we get to see Michael off-island, pre-death?

Oh I REALLY cannot wait for next year!
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LOST News: Much 'Ado About Richard Alpert

Is this the last of Richard Alpert we will see?

Apparently, it might be... as the actor who plays Richard Alpert, Nestor Carbonell, has landed a role on Cane, a TV show forthcoming on CBS, and it seems as though they are not letting him make appearances on ABC's hit. Why? Bad for business, probably.

When asked about Alpert's fate, Carbonell dropped this nugget: "I don't know."

Still, how are we going to figure this one out? My guess is that they killed Richard Alpert off - only way it makes sense. Eh, this IS LOST, so who knows. I just think it'd be odd if they got a new actor - even though those conspiracy theory threads would be HILARIOUS!

Hopefully, this is sorted out before next year (!!!), but we shall see... who's to say Cane is going to last?
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Who's ya A&R?

9th Wonder has popped up on XXLMag.com, and reluctantly spent most of the interview downplaying the Little Brother break-up, as well as claims of his sound getting stale. Eskay reiterated 9th's question at the end of the interview, wondering why everyone wants to read SoundScan, why everyone dwells on sales and the like. While I agree with what both of them said, the thing is, both them niggas did it. They both supported Jay-Z at one time or another. Someone who wants to work on Lil' Wayne's next project?

Who made the fans worry about platinum plaques? Hip-Hop did.

Before Jay-Z owned 7 summers or whatever, who really knew about record sales? When I was a shorty, watching Video Music Box, eating Little Debbie brownies, Gold wasn't a record sales mark, it was the color of the dookie earrings shorty had in the LL Cool J video. Platinum? I didn't even know WTF that was. The Clinton Administration came in and changed that - DMX, Ja Rule, Jay-Z, hell 'Pac would go plat from the grave! And they let us know - whether its on MTV Cribs or on interludes of their albums, we were constantly bombarded with record sales information. Guys like 50 Cent (and 'em) keep the tradition going.

Who made us lowly fans worry about diamond status? Hip-Hop did.

The fucked up part is, it's the niggas who DON'T go platinum who cry the loudest. Everyone wants to be on the radio and on TV (9th mentioned it, and I imagine that's why they went to Atlantic), but the sales figures don't matter when they don't sell. If The Minstrel Show went 2x Platinum, do you think they'd a) have split up and b) have been harping on sales? Come on.

Who made one of my favorite producers hate me? Hip-Hop did.

Now, 9th hates me. He hates me because I blog, hates me because I think his sound is getting a bit stale (although he did his thing on the Chemistry CD), hates me because I like to know if T.I. went platinum or not. Why should I not be concerned? Didn't the Bible make some statement basically saying when you are a child you deal with child shit, but when you are grown up, you put away the childish things? Why should I not be concerned with how these niggas are eating, especially when their tracks are all about being broker than most and not shining like other niggas do, and denouncing the next nigga for doing that? You're taking our power of using that product (it essentially stops being "yours" when a UPC label gets stuck on it) and utilizing it the way we want, which could be seen as an extension of record labels putting programs on CDs that do not allow us to copy them to our computers. Hip-Hop is freedom of expression, unless you aren't sticking solely to what's being said.

What is the death of Hip-Hop? Hip-Hop is...
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Got Beats?


Any of you guys feel your beats and rhymes are hot enough to get some Internet Radio play? Shoot them over to ya boy khal! I am in the process of getting a web radio show, Hip-Hop specific.

I'm looking for instrumentals, full songs, drops - whatever. Show me your skills. If I dig it, it's going on the show, end of.

Send me MP3s (the higher quality, the better) to: khaldub@gmail.com.

Let's get it! More on the show in the near future.
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On That Leak: UNKLE ft. Ian Astbury "Burn My Shadow"

MP3 (stream/download)

No, this is NOT a diss to DJ Shadow. This is the single from the new UNKLE album, War Stories, which drops tomorrow (24th July 2007). From what I understand, the LP is a departure from the UNKLE sound you might be accustomed to hearing - but departure does not mean unaccessible or crap by any means. peep that lead single, "Burn My Shadow", featuring The Cult's Ian Astbury, for proof.

To stream the entire War Stories LP, hit up UNKLE's MySpace page or on AOL Spinner. Peep the tracklisting:

1. Intro
2. Chemistry
3. Hold My Hand
4. Restless (feat. Josh Homme)
5. Keys To The Kingdom (feat. Gavin Clark)
6. Price You Pay
7. Burn My Shadow (feat. Ian Astbury)
8. May Day (feat. The Duke Spirit)
9. Persons & Machinery (feat. Autolux)
10. Twilight (feat. 3D)
11. Morning Rage
12. Lawless
13. Broken (feat. Gavin Clark)
14. When Things Explode (feat. Ian Astbury)
Ouch. Heavy hittin'... Peep the video for "Burn My Shadow" HERE.

Enjoy. And let them know where you got your leak from...
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And the winner is... Dick In A Box!

Not yet, anyways, but it is bound to happen. I found a new respect for the Emmy crew, nominating the funniest SNL skit since Lazy Sunday for an Emmy. Never seen "Dick In A Box"? Peep game:



How can this NOT win!?!?!

BONUS VIDEO: "Lazy Sunday"!



That Andy Samberg guy is the shit. Dunno if I want to see that movie, though...
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Obama will be our next President

Oprah has his back:

"The popular talk show host, who first said she would support Sen. Barack Obama's presidential bid in September on CNN’s Larry King Live, plans to host a $2,300 per-person fundraising event for the Illinois Democrat in her Montecito, California home next September."

If that isn't all Barack Obama needs, I'm not sure what is... can Hil top this?
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"I can't believe she shot me!"

Just had to comment on this. XXL has a new story on the Remy Ma attempted-murder situation; apparently the girl who got shot, Makeda Barnes-Joseph (red heels), had this to say about the situation:
“I couldn’t believe she shot me,” Barnes-Joseph told the Daily News. “What hurts me is that when she shot me she went over and dumped the bag. She didn’t even say, “Oh, my God, I just shot her.’ That’s what hurt me so much.”
OK so first off, what made you believe Remy shot you, the fucking bullet in your gut!?!?!? I mean, I get what she is trying to say ("wow, how could mah girl shoot me?"), but the way it's worded is kind of deep. The other piece that bothers me about that news bit is not that the aforementioned bullet in her gut giving her pain, but Miss Makeda says that the fact that Remy opened her bag to try and find the $2Gs of her own money she thought Makeda stuffed in there is what hurt her. HUH!?!? I mean, if someone is so cold-hearted to gat you in the gut over some ends (paltry ends, but then again, I guess Remy ran out of her Fight Klub winnings), what do you think they are going to do, call the ambulance??

Be forreal. Or get off the pharms before the Daily News calls you.
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On That Leak: Saigon "C'mon Baby"

Taken from Just Blaze's blog.

Saigon ft. Swizz Beatz "C'mon Baby" (clean : dirty)

My initial listen went like this: hit PLAY. Exclaim "OH SHIT THAT BEAT IS DOPE!!!". Proceed to turn volume up. Realize I dunno WTF Saigon is saying with all of that ill "c'monbabyc'monbabyc'monbaby" in the instrumental, but also don't really care.

You will notice that Justin didn't provide an instrumental. The beat is something to be freaked, and upon further (read: all weekend) listening, Saigon did his thing (although I'd love to hear cats like Lil' Wayne rip this up. I could see someone really working that "c'mon baby" into their verses...), and like my man Enigmatik says, with a proper push behind this monster, we (read: true schoolers) could run this city.

Maybe Sai Giddy was listening to what I said previously? Hey, a nigga can dream, no?
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DJ Tipz Thugstep Mixtape

I want to first shout the one like DJ Tipz (UK) for rocking an all-THUGSTEP mixtape, without prompting by me. This mixtape has already gotten shine on Ipswich Community Radio a few weeks back (watch out for Tipz on ICRFM when they go LIVE on your UK FM Dials!), and its a bonafide party starter! Tipz is nice with his cuttin' and scratchin', and he knows how to transition well. Plus, he's a big THUGSTEP supporter, which is always welcome around these here parts.

"Thugstep Mixtape" (zShare stream/download link)

Here's the tracklisting:


01/Lil' Jon ft. Three Six Mafia "Act A Fool (DJ Nappy Vs. Coki THUGSTEP Mix)"
02/Young Dro "Shoulder Lean (DJ Nappy Vs. Deadly Habit THUGSTEP Mix)"
03/Big Cas "Check My Feet (DJ Nappy Vs. Hijack EXTENDED THUGSTEP Mix)"
04/Birdman & Lil' Wayne "Stuntin' Like My Daddy (DJ Nappy Vs. Luke Envoy THUGSTEP Mix)"
05/Big Kuntry King ft. T.I. "Throwback (DJ Nappy Vs. Hijack EXTENDED THUGSTEP Mix)"
06/Unk "2 Step (DJ Nappy Vs. genetic.krew EXTENDED THUGSTEP Mix)"
07/Allstar Cashville's Prince ft. Yo Gotti "Tear It Up (DJ Nappy Vs. El Rakkas EXTENDED THUGSTEP Mix)"
08/Richboy ft. Polow Da Don "Throw Some D's (DJ Nappy Vs. Benga EXTENDED THUGSTEP Mix)"
09/Lil' Wayne "Go DJ (DJ Nappy Vs. Benga THUGSTEP Mix)"
10/D12 "40oz. (DJ Nappy Vs. Lukr'N'Gully THUGSTEP Mix)"
11/Young Joc "Goin' Down (DJ Nappy Vs. Juju THUGSTEP Mix)"
12/B Dub "Do Whatcha Do (DJ Nappy Vs. Boxcutter EXTENDED THUGSTEP Mix)"

One thing about Tipz, he gets it. Most dubstep producers/fanboys take things too serious. Or they dislike "crunk" rap. Or whatever you want to call it. They call them crude bootlegs, or just plain shit. The thing is, the basis and origins of mixed music is to, yes, get a party poppin'. When these DJ tools are used properly (listen to the mix!), they can set a fuckin' dancehall on FIRE! See for yourself. Almost 40 minutes of THUGSTEP trickery, mixed by DJ Tipz. All tracks (aside from the intro and the "Throw Some D's" instrumental in there) were refixed by DJ Nappy.

Keep it locked to Tipz's MySpace page for more turntable tomfoolery from him, and keep it locked here for all things THUGSTEP!

UPDATE: Do you not prefer downloading from FileFront? Hit this sharebee link for other download links: zShare, megaupload, sendspace AND rapidshare. BOH!
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Subvert Central Podcast 28 (by khal)


The 28th edition of the Subvert Central podcast has recently gone up. The SC camp was primarily a spot for subverts of a DNB persuasion, but their podcasts range from jungle/DNB to punk, funk, jazz and all points in between (burn this link into your RSS feeder). I did a mix for them, this one showcasing my love for older El-P/Company Flow cuts. I originally entitled it "Burnt At Both Ends", but SC Podcast 28 is fine.

Check the tracklisting:

01. Intro
02. Indellible MCs "Weight"
03. Company Flow "Linda Tripp"
04. Company Flow "Suzy Pulled a Pistol on Henry"
05. Jello Biafra interlude
06. Latyrx ft. El-P "Looking Over A City"
07. El-P "The Nang, The Front, The Bush and The Shit"
08. Indellible MCs "Fire In Which You Burn (With Intro)"
09. Jello Biafra vs. Company Flow "Shadows Drown The Media"
10. Cannibal Ox "Raspberry Fields"
11. Prefuse 73 ft. Ghostface Killah & El-P "Hideyaface (El-P Mix)"
12. Company Flow "One Night In Austin"
13. Company Flow ft. Ill Bill "Simian D AKA Feeling Ignorant"

You know you want it. Download HERE.

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Dumped for calling customer service?

Peep this letter (spotted at Gadgetell). How the fuck are you going to cancel people for being considered "high maintenance"? You basically said "you're too dumb to use our service". Why not take a look at your service, see if you can fix a few confusing things, and then go on from there.

The thing is, now they are saying they did this b/c people were scamming, which is a legitimate beef, I guess (even though I don't know who would be that determined to call them EVERY DAY demanding a credit). The thing is, what if you have a problem with your service, say a name change or something, and it cannot be resolved with one (or two) calls. Do you get dropped b/c of that? It's one thing to not make payments then try to obtain credits (hell, a swindle is a swindle), but what about specifics where consumers say they got cancelled over real problems, like getting charged for shit they didn't do?

Don't they record phone convos? Why not go through the records of people with legit beef(s), and try to sort it out?

In any case, I'm glad I rock Virgin Mobile...
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VIdeo Ho's volume 2

Hurricane Chris "A Bay Bay"

My son's favorite song. Well, he laughs when I "sing" the "chorus" to him.

R. Kelly ft. Usher "Same Girl"

Word to Charles In Charge.

Lil' Scrappy "Livin' In The Projects"

Videos like this are cool only when the artists still lives in the projects. And why do all of these niggas have wads of cash but stay sittin' on project stoops?

Kanye West "Stronger"

This is supposed to get me excited about a new Kanye LP? Cassie flittin' around Japan and Kanye with those odd slit shades?

The word CRUNK has been added to Webster's dictionary. In honor of that, let's post up a CRUNK ASS VIDEO!:

Lil' Jon ft. E-40 & Sean Paul "Snap Ya Fingers"
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Bitch-Made In America (July 4th, 2007) Mixtape


First off, RIP Captain America.

In any case, another year has come and gone, and so we at rock the dub (read: me) have brought you the next installment in our "History of America" series (see last year's "America: The Ugly" - shouts to double J for hosting that .rar), aka "Bitch-Made In America". This mix is another statement on many things that I and many consider wrong/fucked up/silly/stupid in our United States of America.

I tried to make this thing flow as much as possible, so it gives the listener not only a bunch of dope beats & ill lines, but also gets a message across. I need to give shout out to Aaron Perpetuum for a few things: "Kingdom", those Fishbone tracks, and the NAME of this mixtape.

DOWNLOAD Bitch-Made In America



Tracklist:

01/Intro: "Bicentinnial Nigger"
02/N.W.A. "Fuck The Police"
>>/Interlude: Richard Pryor "Just Us" b/w Rihanna "Umbrella (Instrumental)"
03/Styles P "Fuck The Police"
04/dead prez "Fuck The Police"
>>/Interlude: Chris Rock "The War" b/w The Alchemist "Stop Fronting (Instrumental)"
05/Joell Ortiz ft. Immortal Technique "Modern Day Slavery"
>>/Interlude: Mumia-Abu Jamal "The War Vs. Us All"
06/Immortal Technique ft. Mos Def "Bin Laden"
07/DJ Shadow "Broken Levee Blues"
08/Jay-Z ft. Ne-Yo "Minority Report"
09/Sharon Jones & The Dap-Kings "What If We All Stopped Paying Taxes?"
>>/Interlude: Jello Biafra "If Voting Changed Anything" b/w Perpetuum "Kingdom"
>>/Interlude: Chris Rock "Drugs, Donuts, Wealth" b/w UGK "International Player's Anthem" b/w 9th Wonder "Brooklyn In My Mind (Crooklyn Dodgers III)"
10/Fishbone "So Many Millions"
>>/Interlude: Fishbone "If I Were A...I'd"
11/Public Enemy "911 Is A Joke"
12/Sam Cooke "A Change Is Gonna Come"

Be safe, and Happy 4th!
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Don't Sample (article for Boo Goo Doo Boom)

I want to shout out a fast friend, Enigmatik, for allowing me to speak on his "state of music today" post on Boo Goo Doo Boom. My article is in the middle, and one of the first comedic/sarcastic joints I've written in a bit. Def. peep out the rest of the articles, there's some dope bloggers doing all kinds of pieces out there, with links to their shit. Here is my piece, in its entirety:


Don’t Sample

sample: 3. a sound of short duration, as a musical tone or a drumbeat, digitally stored in a synthesizer for playback. 5. serving as a specimen: a sample piece of cloth.

The Man, who in most cases is white, rich, and totally disconnected with the urban culture he is writing checks for, does not want you to sample. Whether it’s a chorus from
some classic show tune or 3 seconds of an ill guitar riff, you will have to pay SOMEBODY for that sound, and it could potentially suck up your budget or delay your project’s release (I’m looking at you, Just Blaze). The thing is, no one seems to care about what this means to the quality of our grown son, Hip-Hop (that nigga stopped being a childa LONG time ago)…

The Man, again that balding white real estate mogul who is funding his 25 year old budding A&R son’s wet dream, does not want you sampling music. And if you want to sample music, you have to do it on his terms. The “MP3” is right now the most widely accepted form of music since the Compact Disc. It weighs nothing, easy to use, and is able to be played on the majority of the portable music players. Yet, there are CDs where you cannot turn music CDs you purchased (if you so chose to do so) into MP3 file format. Also, downloading promotional use-MP3 files is also strongly frowned upon, for fear that the polar ice caps will melt, and the penguins will drown… or that these bald rich moneygrubbers won’t get their investment back, whichever comes first. Some would think that these two forms of “sampling” do not intertwine… but let me show you how this thing works:

Biz Markie sampled Gilbert O’Sullivan and
caused a stir so loud that now every bedroom beat fondler fears for the life of his unborn and ends up not snipping that Led Zeppelin hi-hat. This means that more producers start to create music that they’ve actually conceived on their own (which usually involves music-making software or hardware beat machines that have either been pilfered or purchased through crack sales, which is another article), which can, at times, be of equal quality, but is usually of lesser quality. These “songs” get sent to the record label, who then puts them on a CD marked “ring tones”, and leaves it on the desk of the summer intern. This intern then listens to said CD, realizes “yo, this shit is off the meat rack” (even though this is rarely the case – usually, these toads are just so happy to have something that you don’t that they are willing to champion any nonsensical necromancer as the next H to the Izzo), and proceeds to upload that new Lil’ Jon ft. Big Maybelle RMX of “Back Dat Azz Up” to all of the contacts (read: bloggers) on his A&R boss’ les internets “contact list”. Within the day, radio stations and les internets get flooded with this new masterpiece in polyphonic ringtonability, and prompts “the bootlegger” (aka that nigga in the studio with the master copy of the entire CD) to leak the entire album, including extra-rare Japanese bonus tracks featuring Sammy Haggar and that nigga Bad Azz, to, you guessed it, les internets. The overwhelming amount of downloads and P2P sharing drives the sales of Pimp My Grits: Lil’ Jon Sings The Blues to only go 1x Platinum, thus creating such a decline in the RIAA’s yearly numbers that gas prices will have to rise another $5 just to balance the national budget. This fact is little known, but how else do you explain the millions of man minutes on les internets and on the nightly news devoted to today’s new terror: “10-year-old downloaders!

The moral of this story? The RIAA needs to let up. Hip-Hop was built on sampling, and the fact that they have clouded niggas’ minds (i.e. making them think that they will get more loot for creating the theme song to their new dance craze by opening up Fruity Loops and making, well, fruity loops, where all of the time that they are really just going to get a bigger cut of an advance they can’t pay back) into thinking they can become celebrities overnight is just ludicrous. Why do you think niggas like Crime Mob are allowed to produce? And the fact that the RIAA is willing and able to shut down sites that actually help promote their garbage is beyond me. It’s all about the backend: that’s where their wallets are, and that’s where they rape their "artists”. You’d think the emergence of services like iTunes, which help smart consumers bypass the 20+ track releases that yield 1 hot track and 1 semi-funny interlude, would mean something: we need to go back to the 1950s, where the 45 was king. Or back to the 8 track tape days, where niggas BEST to have a dope long player, or that shit gets used to hold up ya grandmama’s stool with the one broke leg.

Now before you guys load up on comments and diatribes poking holes in my scientific research, I will add this footnote: the only time they waste time on niggas who still sample is when Kanye West or some other money maker is involved. He’s one of the only cats really eating who still samples. Whether it’s Chaka Khan or Daft Punk, dude (or his ghost producers) has an ear for music, and can cook up a beat with ease. And for some reason, the fact that he can twist knobs helps alleviate the fact that dude really can’t flow – he has written a verse or 3 that have knocked, but dude is not hot with his voice.

In any case, it’s not like any of this matters. Once you read this, you
will click over to some other blog that matters and continue the hunt for “that
new”. I know I will…

Once again, shouts to Enigmatik for being chill and keep an eye peeled to his blog, it's the bidness.
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FOTM: THUGSTEP #3 (07/2007)

DJ Nappy strikes again, this time with a track that would fit perfect as an intro track to your thugged-out summer mix. This one is for the woofer-busters, and Unk's lyrics perfectly breaks down that egotistical braggadacio those who have the champion systems exude when they are ridin' down their hood. This track is the title cut to Unk's debut LP, the same one that birthed "2 Step", and he keeps the exact same flavor in his vocals on this one. The dubstep instrumental is provided by Docwra, and it gives us the PERFECT thump to back up the theme of this refix. It starts out menacing enough, with a basic boom-bap, with a hypnotic bassline which is matched by some haunting synths. Heavy tune, and something that will definitely keep those tweeters and woofers heated for the summer rides. Check out the download links, in 256kbps MP3 sound:


Looking for more THUGSTEP? Hit this link. Any of you DJs want MORE THUGSTEP? Send me an e-mail, Nappy blessed me w/ loads of refixes. One thing: if you use them, let me know you use them, so we can big you up on his MySpace page, ESPECIALLY if you use them on mixes hosted online.

Be safe, and spread the word. This is FAR from over...
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